After missing out on the MLS Cup Playoffs the last three seasons, the LA Galaxy return the postseason this weekend with a home-and-home series against inter-city rival Chivas USA. The Galaxy, fresh off of their 2-0 regular season finale victory over San Jose to clinch home-field advantage in the playoffs, will go be the away team for the first leg of the first-ever playoff meeting between the two rivals.
Historically, the Galaxy has had the advantage over their neighbors. All-time, LA are 11-3-5 against Chivas USA, outscoring their rivals 33-19 in all competitions. Over the last two years, the Galaxy have scored 10 goals against Chivas, with Landon Donovan scoring four times, Alan Gordon scoring three times, Edson Buddle scoring twice and David Beckham scoring once, the game-winner in LA's 1-0 win on August 29 which sealed the 2009 Honda SuperClasico title for the Galaxy.
Chivas USA enters the postseason as the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference. At home, Chivas was 9-3-3 this year, with one of those loses coming against the Galaxy, a 1-0 LA win on July 11. The Galaxy, set to make their 11th appearance in the MLS Cup Playoffs, boast one of the best road records in MLS, a 5-2-8 mark that generated 23 of the club's 48 points in the regular season. Landon Donovan led the Galaxy in scoring with 12 goals and six assists.
The return leg of the series will be played at The Home Depot Center on Sunday, November 8. That game, which is presented by Pechanga Resort, kicks off at 4:30 p.m.
Both games will be broadcast live nationally on ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes. ESPN Deportes Radio 1330 AM will have all the action on the radio in Spanish for both game.
THE WEEK THAT WAS
Saturday, October 24
LA Galaxy 2 - San Jose Earthquakes 0 - The Home Depot Center - Attendance: 27,000
INJURY REPORT
Galaxy Injury Report
OUT - Alecko Eskandarian (Head - Disabled List), Julian Valentin (Right Foot - Disabled List)
DOUBTFUL - None
QUESTIONABLE -Stefani Miglioranzi (Left Groin - Strain)
PROBABLE - None
TEAM NOTES
CLAIMING THE TOP SEED: For a sixth time in club history, the Galaxy enter the Western Conference playoffs as the No. 1 seed. The club has been able to make good use of home-field advantage in the past, advancing to the MLS Cup final in five of those six seasons. Most recently, the Galaxy used home-field advantage to get past Kansas City and Colorado en route to the 2002 MLS Cup, when the club captured their first MLS Cup championship. Here's how the Galaxy have finished the playoffs when entering as the No. 1 seed...
1996 - Reached MLS Cup; lost 3-2 to D.C. United in inaugural championship game.
1998 - Reached Western Conference Finals; lost to Chicago Fire, 3-2.
1999 - Reached MLS Cup; lost to D.C. United, 3-2.
2001 - Reach MLS Cup; lost to San Jose, 2-1.
2002 - Reached MLS Cup, defeated New England, 1-0.
2009 - To Be Determined...
GALAXY PLAYOFF HISTORY: This season, the Galaxy had the second best road record in MLS, finishing the year with a mark of 5-2-8. However, LA has not fared well historically in the playoffs.
All-time, LA has a playoff record of 26-15-4, though they are just 7-10-3 on the road. However, the Galaxy did go 1-0-1 on the road in the 2005 MLS Cup Playoffs, playing to a 1-1 draw at San Jose to win their Western Conference Semifinal Series and then winning 2-0 at Colorado in the Western Conference Championship.
At home, the Galaxy is an impressive 17-2-1 in the postseason, including 3-0-0 at The Home Depot Center, where both games in this series are taking place. Galaxy has outscored opponents 7-1 in playoff games at The Home Depot Center.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS: This season, the Galaxy shutout Chivas USA in all three of their matches to claim the Honda SuperClasico trophy for a fourth time in five seasons. The first match ended 0-0 on April 11 and the Galaxy won the final two games by identical 1-0 scorelines on July 11 and Aug. 29, with Edson Buddle and David Beckham providing the game-winning goals, respectively.
All-time, the Galaxy are 11-3-5 against Chivas USA, outscoring their rivals 33-19, including a LA 5-2 win in the fourth round of the 2005 U.S. Open Cup. Over the last two years, the Galaxy has scored 10 goals against Chivas, with Landon Donovan scoring four times, Alan Gordon scoring three times, Edson Buddle scoring twice and David Beckham scoring once, including the game-winner in LA's 1-0 win on Aug. 29.
A MIX OF FIRST TIMERS AND VETERANS: The Galaxy enter the postseason with an elaborate mix of players, with nine of the club's 26 players, and three of the club's five coaches, having won the MLS Cup at some point of their career. Landon Donovan leads the Galaxy with three MLS Cup titles, with Todd Dunivant, Alecko Eskandarian, Alan Gordon, Chris Klein, Dema Kovalenko, Stefani Miglioranzi, Tony Sanneh and Josh Saunders having all won the Cup, as have Bruce Arena, Dave Sarachan and Cobi Jones.
At the other end of the spectrum, the club also enters the postseason with 12 players who will be playing in the playoffs for the first time in their MLS career. Those players are David Beckham, Gregg Berhalter, Chris Birchall, Tristan Bowen, A.J. DeLaGarza, Sean Franklin, Omar Gonzalez, Bryan Jordan, Yohance Marshall, Kyle Patterson, Donovan Ricketts and Julian Valentin.
SHUTOUT RECORD BROKEN: Donovan Ricketts made two saves in the 2-0 win over the Earthquakes on Saturday for his ninth clean sheet of the season. With the shutout, the Galaxy broke the club record for clean sheets in a season with 12, besting a mark that was originally set in 1999 when the Galaxy allowed just 29 goals in 32 games. In addition to Ricketts' ninth shutout, Josh Saunders has two while the pair combined for one, with Ricketts playing 85 minutes of the 2-0 win at Chicago on August 19 before being replaced by Saunders for the final five minutes because of an injury.
Additionally, Ricketts' nine shutouts ties Kevin Hartman for the second most clean sheets for one goalkeeper, which was set in 2006. The club record for shutouts by an individual goalkeeper was set in 1999 when Hartman was in goal for all 11 of LA's clean sheets that season en route to a berth in the MLS Cup.
TEAM AWARDS: After their 2-0 win over the San Jose Earthquakes at The Home Depot Center on Saturday, the LA Galaxy announced their annual team. Galaxy captain Landon Donovan won two awards, while defender Todd Dunivant and goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts each won one.
For the second straight season and the third time in his Galaxy career, Donovan was named the Galaxy's Most Valuable Player while also winning the Budweiser Golden Boot as the club's top scorer for the fifth straight season. Ricketts, the Galaxy's Jamaican international goalkeeper narrowly edged out Omar Gonzalez to win the club's Defender of the Year award in his first season with the club while Dunivant was named the Galaxy's U.S. Soccer Foundation/MLS W.O.R.K.S. Humanitarian of the Year.
YOUTH ACADEMY
DEVELOPMENT ACADEMY TEAMS TRAVELS TO FRESNO:
After being off this past weekend, the LA Galaxy U-16 and U-18 teams will travel to Fresno, Calif. for a pair of Halloween Day matches against Cal Odyssey. The games are scheduled to kick off at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Field 1 at Keith Tice Memorial Park.
IN THE COMMUNITY
TREATS-N-SUITES HALLOWEEN BASH:
The Home Depot Center Charitable Foundation and the LA Galaxy Foundation will host the annual Treats-n-Suites Halloween Bash at The Home Depot Center on Thursday, October 29. The event, which is free and open to all children (ages 3-10) who registered online, begins at 4 p.m. and will feature trick-or-treating, bag decorating, pumpkin decorating, jack-o-lantern coloring contest, and a costume parade, and an appearance by Galaxy players, who will sign autographs and take photos with all the participants.
GALAXY "GO FOR GOLD" IN MLS CUP PLAYOFFS
2009 MLS CUP PLAYOFFS TICKET AVAILABLE NOW:
LA Galaxy 2009 MLS Cup Playoff tickets are now available. The first 10,000 fans to purchase a playoff ticket will receive a complimentary Galaxy "Go for Gold" Playoff t-shirt, courtesy of Pechanga Resort.
Additionally, fans can purchase a special Playoff Family 4-Pack for as little as $66. This special package includes four tickets to the Galaxy's home playoff game, four hot dogs and four sodas, as well as the complimentary Galaxy "Go for Gold" Playoff t-shirt, if purchased as part of the first 10,000 tickets sold for the playoff game.
Fans wishing to purchase MLS Cup Playoff tickets can do so by visiting lagalaxy.com or by calling 1-877-3GALAXY (342-5299), as well as visiting www.ticketmaster.com and through all Ticketmaster outlets.
NEED TO KNOW
GALAXY DEPORTIVO IS BACK:
Galaxy Deportivo, the Galaxy's official half hour show in Spanish, is back for sixth season with hosts Alejandro Navarro and Elmer Polanco on KWHY-22. Catch the show this week and every other Saturday, at 6 p.m.
On top of behind-the-scenes footages, exclusive interviews and features and in-depth profiles, Galaxy Deportivo also recaps the club's latest activity within the community. Similar to how the fan's passion for the Galaxy is not limited to game day, neither is Galaxy Deportivo's coverage.
Past shows can be viewed on archive at www.LAGalaxyFutbol.com.
PURO GALAXY HITS ESPN DEPORTES RADIO: ESPN Deportes Radio KWKW 1330 AM, the Galaxy's official Spanish language radio partner, is the place for all of your Galaxy news and information en español. The best place to get that information is on Puro Galaxy, the network's weekly, hour-long show that airs every Saturday from noon-1 p.m.
Galaxy color analyst Armando Aguayo and Galaxy sideline reporter Mario Amaya are joined on a weekly basis by the players, coaches and a series of special guests that allow the fan to get excited for match day. So tune in each and every week and stay up to date with everything that is going on in the Galaxy.
Fans can also listen to free podcasts of previous episodes at www.LAGalaxyFutbol.com.
LOOKING FOR MORE UPDATES?: If you are looking for continuous updates from the Galaxy all week long, be sure to visit the club's official websites www.lagalaxy.com and www.lagalaxyfutbol.com, or the club's official blog at www.thelagalaxy.blogspot.com for all the latest news from the club.
